Transition Times/Louise Holden has some tips on writing features, in our cut- out SchoolMag guide.

Most magazine writing is feature writing. Unlike "hard" news writing, features are described as soft, because they are not as time sensitive as news and they give the writer a chance to explore some of the issues surrounding the theme rather than simply the immediate facts.

Last year's SchoolMag writing winners turned in features on working in charity shops, food and the messages of advertising. All the winning articles respected the rules that follow.

The authors were clear from the start about what they were trying the say and what the purpose of the article was. Fix a statement in your head that sums up the piece, and make sure you don't stray from the point. For her winning piece on the rise of the wristband, Kelly Lawn began by asking whether the ubiquitous accessory had more to with charity or fashion. She stuck to the theme, examined both sides, provided plenty of facts and figures and finished with her own conclusion. Many promising features hit the judging-room floor because their writers strayed.

Pull in readers with an inviting opening. Writing winners Clar Ní Bhraonain, Aine Chambers and Lisa Ní Thuairisc drew the judges into an article on the Asian tsunami with: "Anita Whooley and her daughter Sinéad were sitting on the front terrace of their house in Phuket, looking towards the sea, on the morning of the 26th December. That was the day the tsunami struck."

Use fresh, original language and avoid cliches. It is easy to slip into well-worn phrases to try to lend your writing an air of authority, but it just puts readers off. Stick to your own voice. Here's an example of fresh writing on working in charity shops. "There is also the job of manning the cash desk: check tag, type in amount, ask if they would like bag, take money, do maths in head to calculate change, give change, apologise for giving wrong change and say goodbye. It helps to have good social skills to work there, so I rarely do. I caught my finger in the till drawer once, which isn't as funny as Ronnie Barker makes out."

If you have a lot of facts or figures to get across, try putting an information panel with your piece. It attracts the eye, breaks up the text and can make an interesting design feature.

Don't make the basic mistakes that drive editors insane. Look out for the worst offenders: its/it's, their/there, loose/lose, your/you're, who's/whose. The spell check won't pick these up, so make sure you do. If in doubt, look them up in a dictionary or grammar guide.

We all have opinions, but a feature article may not be the place to air them. Your readers deserve an informed and balanced account of an issue. There's nothing wrong with making your feelings clear, but don't bore us with a rant.

Read and edit your work scrupulously. Cut sentences that are too long, chop waffle and ditch any material that strays too far from your main point.

Next week: picking the right images. For more tips, visit www.irishtimes schoolmag.ie. If you would like to see an area of magazine production covered in this column, e-mail lholden@irish-times.ie